As many as six great white sharks were seen feasting on a whale carcass Friday off Cape Cod, leading to the closure of some beaches.
Noons Landing, Beach Point and Cold Storage beaches are all closed to swimming, according to the town of Truro. Swimmers at other beaches are advised to be vigilant and report any shark sightings to police.
“Given the sharks were on whale and the whale was a mile or two from land, whale did wash ashore, it makes sense for folks take a precautionary sense for a day or two,” said Dr. Greg Skomal, a marine biologist.
Those beaches may be closed through Sunday.
Researchers with the Center for Coastal Studies began monitoring the drifting carcass of the small minke whale on Wednesday. They recorded video of the hungry sharks tearing into the easy meal.
“Data collected during these 72 hours shows that there is as much to be learned from the whales in death as in life,” CCS wrote.
Early Friday morning, the remains of a small whale washed up on Beach Point. Researchers suspect it is from the same carcass that the sharks were enjoying.